Ica to be seen as place for extreme sports thanks to Dakar Rally

Thanks to the 2012 Dakar Rally, of which final stages are taking place in Peruvian territory, the country’s southern Ica region will be seen as a place for high adrenaline extreme sports by the entire world, governor of said department Alonso Navarro stated.

"To us it's really wonderful that the deserts in Ica as well as its dunes can be seen internationally. There were two campsites; the first one was located in Pisco and the other one in Nasca, which shows the importance of this part of the country for practicing such sports," he said.

In statements to Andina, the governor noted that foreign delegations which had arrived in Ica on the occasion of Dakar Rally were able to see that said jurisdiction had the appropriate terrains for sports such as sandboarding, cycling, dune buggies, and quads, among others.

"Undoubtedly, it's an excellent opportunity to promote extreme sports that are done not only in the coast but in the highlands," Navarro commented.

In turn, he went on to add that his office has coordinated with Pisco and Nasca authorities, as well as with private operators.

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Peru holds 418 pisco wineries with designation of origin

• (ANDINA). Peru holds a total of 418 wineries producing pisco, the country's flagship spirit, with denomination of origin this year, higher than the 367 wineries that existed in 2009, which represents a 14 percent rise, stated the chairman of the Board of the Pisco Designation of Origin Jaime Marimon. The denomination of origin of these 418 wineries is registered in Peru’s National Institute for the Defense of Competition and the Protection of Intellectual Property (Indecopi), Marimon pointed out.
  The greatest number of pisco wineries is located in Ica (174) and followed by Lima (169). Other major cities were the production of pisco is promoted are Arequipa (41), Tacna (17) and Moquegua (17), he noted.
  The increase in the number of this kind of establishments is mainly due to the effort of producers to innovate and maintain the product's quality, to promote the flagship drink and to encourage the responsible consumption of pisco.
  Said increase was also attributable to the joint work of the private sector and public entities related to this sector, which promote and publicize the benefits of this traditional Peruvian drink both nationally and internationally, Marimon noted.